Rail Safety Week: UTA to host railroad safety education events

Sep 18, 2023, 9:00 AM

A Frontrunner train moves into Salt Lake Central Station. (Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)

(Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)

Digital Content Producer

SALT LAKE CITY — Today marks the start of Utah Transit Authority’s Rail Safety Week. The weeklong education campaign will include a number of events aimed at educating the public about railroad safety, said a press release from UTA.

UTA has partnered with a number of Utah organizations for this year’s Rail Safety Week, dubbed Operation Lifesaver, according to the press release.

The events will take place at a number of different venues. UTA and their partners will be at several TRAX stations, high schools, and Tooele Technical College.

The week of events will begin on Monday, Sept. 18. Cherryl Beveridge, Chief Operating Officer at UTA, will be joined by members of UTA’s partner organizations.

Concluding the week of education, on Saturday and Sunday, UTA welcomes the public to share their ideas for improving rail safety on social media.

Those interested in participating this weekend can safely take a picture at any railroad crossing or station, and share it on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Instagram, and tag UTA. The Rail Safety Team will choose multiple winners, who will be the recipients of gift cards.

A full schedule of events can be found on UTA’s Rail Safety Week website.

The goal

According to a press release from UTA, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports more than 5,800 accidents near railroad crossings each year. These accidents lead to 600 deaths and 2,300 injuries.

Rail Safety Week aims to educate pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists about safe and unsafe behavior near railroads.

“A major part of UTA’s overall mission is saving lives by empowering the public to make safer decisions around tracks and trains,” said the press release.

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